‘Does my bum look big in this?’ In terms of your health, the right answer might be, ‘Well it looks bigger than your belly!’ It’s thought that body shape is a very potent indicator of susceptibility to diseases like heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, and it’s better to be pear-shaped than apple-shaped. Pear shaped people put on weight around their hips, bottoms and thighs, whereas apple shaped people have bigger waists than hips – beer bellies and muffin tops are the things to watch out for!

I don’t really fall into either category as I’m relatively slim, but I suspect if I wasn’t as active as I am or careful with my diet I would tend towards being apple shaped. You can find out your body shape by measuring your waist at its narrowest point, then your hips about three inches below your pelvic bone. Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement to get your waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). If the answer is higher than 0.80 for women, or 1.0 for men , then you are apple shaped. My WHR is about 0.94 which means I am a pear!

Oh! View with animosityVisceral adiposity!One of Nature’s great monstrositiesThat must not be ignored!For central flesh viscosityWith variable velocityIs such a vile atrocityYou’ll wish for it no more!

If your hips are fatterThan your waist, it doesn’t matter,But if in your case it’s the latterThen you need to watch your weight!If you’ve got a big behind,Mother Nature has been kind,And sometimes you will findThat it’s better to go pear-shaped!